The Welfare State

The Welfare State: Where Do We Go From Here? by Michael Walzer, Frances Fox Piven, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Joseph Schwartz, Margaret Weir will have to await further developments. They, out of their unique historic expe rience, have something to teach us, as EDITORIAL we have something to teach them. It seems that the socialization ofourecon omy and society has turned out to be a Democracy First, Economic Relations Later far more complex and drawn-out proc ess than many of us had hoped. But to brothers and sisters in Eastern Europe paraphrase Churchill's remark about A 11 across Eastern Europe, from about whether it is really capitalism democracy: democratic socialism is the the Baltic to the Bosphorus, the buzz they want. That's something they are worst possible goal, except when you words are now "democracy," "plural goingtohaveto find out for themselves. consider the alternatives. ism," "market economy." Other words They understand the evils from which -- Gordon Haskell enter the political discourse, but their they flee far better than the ones which use seems to depend more on how many await them. Life has taught them to DEMOCRATIC LEFT disbelieve anything they are told by their months have passed sinoo the great thaw Founding Editor ending the Stalinist ice age has reached rulers and to believe almost anything Michael Harrington (1928-1989) the particular country in question. As told them by those rulers' opponents Managing Editor time passes, "communism wilh a hu and enemies. They know that there is Sherri Levine man face" tends to give way to "social unemployment, poverty, crime, and Editorial Committtt ism," and that in turn to "social democ homelessness in the West, and that the Joanne Barkan racy" or just plain "democracy." rich and powerful dominate the media Neil McLaughlin The semantic changes express a real and the politics dependent on them. Maxine Phillipe shift in the perspectives of the classes They just underestimate the significanoo Jan Roeenberg and strata struggling to meet their press of these facts and processes, and expect Mit.ch Horowitz DEMOCRATIC LEFT CISSN 0164- ing social and economic needs and to them to be much easier to bear than the 3207) is published six times a year at find the symbols and polices appropri hopelessness of their present lives. For 15 Dutch St., Suite 500, New York, ate to them. The "new class" of the most, the pressing issue is to solidify, to NY 10038. Second Class postage paid party and state bureaucracy is desper institutionalize their new democracy; at New York, NY. Subscription $8 ately shaken but still very much in power the details of their economic relations regular; $15 institutional. Postmas in the economies and the governments can wait till later. ter: Send address changes to 15 Dutch of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Yugosla Of course, we should warn them Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10038. via, and more dubiously in Czechoslo against excessive optimism about what DEMOCRATIC LEFT is published vakia and East Germany. It seeks to they can reasonably count on from the by the Democratic Socialists of Amer camouflage its rule by a selective adop "West" -- and especially from our U.S. ica, 15 Dutch Street, #500, NewYa:k, tion of parts of the new phraseology, government and capitalists. That's not NY 10038, (212) 962-0390. Signed articles express the opinons of while it bides its time in the hope that only because many of them tend to have the authors and not necessarily those wildly exaggerated hopes -- and we owe the tides of reform will run themselves of the organization. out on the shoals of deteriorating eco them frankness as their allies - but nomic realities or smash themselves to because unrealistic expectations of help ARTICLES bits on the rocks of national hatreds. from abroad can translate into passiv The Welfare State: Where Do We The new mass movements (politi ity, and perhaps to demoralization. Go from Here? cal, labor, ecological, economic, cultural) Our greatest contribution to their by Michael Walzer, Jean Bethke Elsh shy away from the term "socialist" - struggle right now is to open to them tain, Frances Fox Piuen, Joseph which they identify with the system the widest possible access to the infor Schwartz, and Margaret Weir ......... 3 they are trying to leave behind. To seek mation we take for granted. The Voice Elections in Brazil to persuade them that their recent of America must be supplemented by by Donald Ramos ........................... 15 masters dist.orted and devalued this word, magru:ines, newspapers, and books which Update on the Social Charter by Vania Del Borgo ......................... 17 amongsuch other words as "comrade," reflect the ideas, critiques, analysis, and Eastern Airlines Update "fascism," "democracy," and "equal programs of everything to the left of by Paul Baicich ......... ....................... 19 ity" -- all of which once had distinct and center in our intellectual, political, and Review of Whose Keeper useful meanings -- is a waste of effort. social life. We must also try to supple by Neil McLaughlitt ........................ 21 Worse, such an exercise can only raise ment that with material aid -- anything Review of Roger and Me an artificial barrier between social forces which they can use to strengthen the by Paul Garver................................ 22 and movements there and here, forces reach of their fledgling movements. DEPARTMENTS which desperately need to understand The broader question of what the Editorial............... .............................2 and help each other in this shrinking flight from "socialism" in Eastern DSAction .........................................11 world. Europe means for the prospects of the On The Len..... ............................... 12 Similarly, let's not argue with our socialist idea -- as we understand it -- Classifieds ....................................... 18 DEMOCRATIC LEFT 2 MARCH· APRIL 1990 Welfare State • Welfare State e Welfare State e Welfare State e Welfare State e Welfare The. American Welfare State: Where Do We Go from Here? by Michael Walzer T wenty years ago, democratic left ists (like me) were writing articles called "Beyond the Welfare State." The word beyond in those titles meant that we already had a welfare state, or that the essential political work of creating a welfare state bad been accomplished (all that was left was administration), or at least that we knew what political work had to be done and only needed to fully represented here by Jean Elsh ism thnt we once located beyond the build or finish building the coalition tain, which sometimes seems to suggest welfare state is the precondition of a that would do it. And beyond also meant that the welfare state was and is a decent welfare state. Mutual concern, that the welfare state lay somewhere on deadend for socialists. Because of the institutionalized cooperation, an active the way to democratic socialism but bureaucracy it breeds and the clientage and engaged citizenry: all this is neces that the high achievement, the really and passivity it generates, there is no sary before we can establish a society exciting and important tasks came af way forward from welfare to any ver whose members are committed to help, t~rwards, further on down the road. sion of democracy. But deadend is no and actually do help, one another. But But this notion of a road, with sta more helpful that waystation in under this before is also wrong, since we are tions along the way, turns out to be a standing where we are today. We don't unlikely to create the mutuality, coop misconception, a bad metaphor. We have a location in a world-historical eration, and engagement except in the should nowreco~ize, I think, that a po process but a problem that arises in a course of a political struggle for wel litical community seriously committed set of concrete political circumstances. fare. Hence the starting point of Frances to the welfare of all its members, and The welfare state is a necessary but . Fox Piven's article: however much the providing for its members in ways that flawed democratic construction, and it arguments have changed, this is a don't degrade the neediest among them, needs to be reconstructed. The work is familiar struggle, against enemies that would already be a democratic socialist especially difficult because, as Marga we have seen before. community. Other things would still ret Wier and Joseph Schwartz argue, The three essays that follow are need doing, of course, but the other the partial success of the welfare state centrally concerned with this struggle things don't lie beyond this one; there is has fragmented the alliance that made and with the strategies that it requires. no necessary sequence, no historical road it possible. Those most in need have Radically new approaches or more a nd map to set our tasks in order. Political fewest allies. Socially and politically better of what we have? A focus on struggles are not fought and definitively isolated, largely incapable of self-help benefits or a focus on jobs? There are no won (so that we can move on to the next (until they are helped to help them certainties hereand no correct ideologi in line). They are at best partially won, selves), they are mostly the targets of cal position. But the very openness of or settled by com promise, and then they state programs in whose design they the debate and the new interest in ex are endlessly refought. have little part. These days the pro perimentation are good signs -- of an So with the welfare state: the com grams are as often punitive as benefi intellectual if not yet political revival on promises and partial vict.ories have given cial -- a sign that the communal solidar the left. e rise to unforeseen problems and new ity upon which any set of welfare pro patterns of criticism and opposition.

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